Chapter 87

After these bosses finished cursing in their hearts, they still had to continue, after all, they had no grudge against money.

Another bespectacled person, the boss asked: "Mr. Li, may I ask, are there any geographical restrictions on opening a store?"

Li Xin glanced at this person; this guy truly has no clue!

But he still replied: "No, as long as you can keep the store open, you can go anywhere. Competition allows the industry to develop better; you bosses could even open your stores inside the governor's office."

"If that boss can pull it off, Red Xin won't charge you any franchise fee, as long as you can manage it."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone burst out laughing.

Moreover, someone chimed in, asking: "If we could open a store inside the military camp, what would you say, Mr. Li?"

Li Xin laughed heartily, joking: "If you can pull it off, when I see you later, I, Li Xin, will bow first and then greet you; all resources under my companies will be freely available to you."

He added: "If you can get your store into Buckingham Palace, I'll give you half of my business; after all, the price you'd pay is too high—if you don't serve that little old lady well, you shouldn't even think about it."

The whole hall exploded in laughter, some even laughing to tears; at most they'd only curse in private.

In front of everyone, no one had ever done this, but upon reflection it still makes sense.

After all, if you don't serve that little old lady well, this matter really can't be done.

The general framework was set; Li Xin summoned Huo Jianning and Line: Jimi, telling them: "Handle the rest; I'll go upstairs to have a drink with the bosses."

Huo Jianning was fine; after all, he'd seen many big scenes with He Huang and could keep things under control.

Line: Jimi, however, was not; after today, Red Xin's real estate agency will take off!

Line: Jimi excitedly asked: "Boss, is our company going public?"

"Yeah, we'll definitely reach that step; I just don't know how high the market cap will go. Mr. Huo will handle that; your job now is to integrate the company and count their franchise stores as company assets."

"I don't know exactly how to do it, but I know one thing: any company will inflate its assets with some fictitious ones. If you don't understand something, just get moving and ask Mr. Huo."

Upon hearing Li Xin say that, Huo Jianning quickly replied modestly: "Boss, I don't understand everything either; there's still much to learn. Besides, Line: Jimi is smart and ambitious; his future is limitless."

"Alright, since you think highly of him, give him more guidance so he doesn't take too many detours, but necessary training is also indispensable—you can't gain wisdom without suffering a setback, right?"

Li Xin asked with a smile.

Huo Jianning readily assured: "Don't worry, boss; I personally admire Line: Jimi—he's conscientious and has a drive to dig deep; he'll definitely be fine."

He now knows that Line: Jimi carries significant weight in the boss's heart and will surely become a senior executive of the group, but it doesn't affect him much.

Line: Jimi's foundation is too weak to threaten his position; he could become a good aide, and pulling him up would benefit both.

Upon hearing the boss's words, Line: Jimi felt truly moved; the boss really values him.

After some time interacting with Mr. Huo, he realized what a genuine corporate manager should be like.

Mr. Huo can recite any company detail off the top of his head, speaks substantively, and knows all kinds of data by heart—truly impressive.

Line: Jimi looked at Li Xin with grateful eyes and said: "Boss, rest assured; I will continually enrich myself to live up to your trust."

He patted Line: Jimi on the shoulder, and Li Xin turned and went upstairs.

Seeing the boss go upstairs, Huo Jianning smiled and asked: "How was it? What did you learn today?"

Line: Jimi was a bit dazed; we haven't even started yet—what could we learn?

Seeing Line: Jimi's confused gaze, Huo Jianning pointedly said: "What did you learn from the boss today?"

"What? The boss didn't say much today; he just briefly set the framework and left—what could we learn?" Line: Jimi asked.

Huo Jianning didn't say anything; he lays everything out plainly, but Line: Jimi could never grasp the meaning—take it slow; pulling up seedlings isn't a good method.

Don't ruin a good seedling that way, or the boss will come after him for trouble.

Huo Jianning took Line: Jimi to entertain executives from other companies; it was essentially teaching by example, and he was very conscientious.

Upon reaching the second floor of the restaurant, we saw Jiang Tian Sheng and Chen Yao entertaining guests, with no sign they were the gang's leader.

Polite and courteous yet without pretense, quite disarming; he wore a smile, greeted people with a three‑part smile, and kept uttering pleasantries.

Li Xin saw Jiang Tian Sheng so enthusiastic about socializing and let him take the lead.

He finds it annoying to deal with these bosses; nothing he says is sincere, just vague and mystifying—perhaps talking like that makes them seem wise.

Li Xin came to the table of the gang members; Bo Shu was there shooting the breeze with them.

"Let me tell you! At the Line: Bolanjie Grand Palace nightclub, there have been lots of foreign girls and even some little Russians—those with white skin!"

Bo Shu smacked his lips, as if savoring something.

Ji Ge, that old lecher, wouldn't let Bo Shu have all the fun!

He also said: "Let me say, black pearls are still the best—skin so delicate, the feel is genuinely good, never gets old after a hundred touches."

"The only flaw is the black spots; if those foreign mares had this skin, they'd be perfect! I could even make the Grand Palace my home."

Chai Shu teased: "Can you two still manage? Don't actually pull out your guns—if you see there's no ammo, you'll embarrass yourselves, and everyone will feel awkward."

Xin Ji Jiang Shu also chimed in: "Chai Ge makes sense; before heading out, maintain your weapons and ammo—don't wait till you're on the battlefield to check, or it'll be too late."

Li Xin saw them chatting lively, but better stay away; they're all old gunslingers, and as a decent gentleman he shouldn't join the fray.

He directly sat at the table with Fu Toujun and company, noticing several people looked unhappy.

Curiously he asked: "Did you lose money going out? Why put on such ugly faces?"

Fu Toujun exploded, shouting: "It's nothing but those losers from Lian Sheng—damn it, they stir up trouble in Yau Tsim Mong for no reason."

"Now every venue in Yau Tsim Mong has suffered considerable losses, yet they dare to boast about retaking Tsim Sha Tsui—dream on!"

Ma Wang also snapped: "Motherfucker, Victory Union isn't stable either—don't know if something's wrong, they've clashed with our Yee Hai in Yau Ma Tei."

"If the hall master hadn't held them back, we'd have taken care of them already—a bunch of losers."

???

Li Xin was full of question marks.

After a moment, he realized: this is Lian Sheng trying to wipe their slate clean.

They don't really want to fight—what, are Lian Sheng going to fight with their heads?

Damn, it's not up to them and Lian Sheng; we must stir up trouble, add fuel to the fire, and try to gain some advantage.

He Lian Sheng, good person!